State Department Announces 19 Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) recognizes 19 institutions of higher education as “Fulbright Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Institutional Leaders” for their noteworthy engagement with the Fulbright Program during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years.

ECA established the Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders Initiative to recognize and commend the strong partnership between the Fulbright Program and HBCUs and to encourage all HBCUs to increase their engagement with Fulbright.

This initiative is part of the U.S. State Department’s long-standing commitment to build diversity and inclusion within the Fulbright Program and within the Bureau’s exchange programs overall.

Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield commended the 19 HBCUs receiving the Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leader designation, noting that “HBCUs are an important part of the American and global higher education communities, providing life-changing exchange opportunities for American and international students, faculty, and administrators alike,” and expressed the hope “that these institutions’ success encourages all HBCUs to engage further with Fulbright and with the State Department.” 

Throughout the week of September 19-23, Fulbright’s social media platforms will highlight Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders through stories and videos in collaboration with Watch the Yard, a platform for Black Greek life created by Fulbright alumnus Jonathan Rabb. The Fulbright Program’s Instagram account will also team up with Fulbright alumna Ashleigh Brown-Grier, founder of the Fulbright HBCU affinity group, to document the “Lifecycle of a Fulbrighter,” sharing Ms. Brown-Grier’s Fulbright experience in South Africa.   

Later this fall, on November 3, a Fulbright HBCU Virtual Workshop will feature representatives of Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders sharing best practices for HBCUs to leverage Fulbright Program engagement to support students and faculty, increase campus internationalization, and build global networks. This virtual event is open to the public and is specifically designed for HBCU faculty, staff, and stakeholders.

The Fulbright Program has designed and implemented a wide range of initiatives to increase participant diversity and inclusion. The program strives to ensure that its participants reflect all aspects of the diversity of U.S. society and societies abroad. Its diversity efforts have included collaboration with associations and organizations such as the White House Initiative on HBCUs, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange, the American Association of Community Colleges, Mobility International, and Diversity Abroad, among others. The Program also works with diversity-focused media platforms and is engaged with hundreds of minority-serving institutions and diverse colleges and universities. The Program is committed to inclusion and to ensuring that all participants have successful and rewarding exchange experiences abroad.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. Since its inception over 75 years ago, the Fulbright Program has given over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and address some of the world’s most pressing challenges. 

For more information on the Fulbright Program’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, see the Fulbright U.S. Student Program website: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/about/diversity-inclusion.

• Alcorn State University, Lorman, MS 
• Bennett College, Greensboro, NC 
• Bluefield State University, Bluefield, WV 
• Central State University, Wilberforce, OH 
• Delaware State University, Dover, DE 
• Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, NC 
• Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, Tallahassee, FL 
• Howard University, Washington, DC 
• Huston-Tillotson University, Austin, TX 
• Jarvis Christian University, Hawkins, TX 
• Lincoln University, Lincoln University, PA
• Mississippi Valley State University, Itta Bena, MS 
• Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 
• North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC 
• Spelman College, Atlanta, GA 
• Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN 
• Texas Southern University, Houston, TX 
• Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 
• Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA